


White Moves First

by Tontonguetonks



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Draco is bad at chess, Drunk Draco, Gen, M/M, Mild Drunkenness, Ron took his time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:15:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28680222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tontonguetonks/pseuds/Tontonguetonks
Summary: Ron challenges Draco to a game of Muggle chess with a boozy twist.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 7
Kudos: 21





	White Moves First

**Author's Note:**

  * For [crazybutgood](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazybutgood/gifts).



> Thank you so much for this prompt! I had such fun writing this, and it got me to improve my chess game enough to beat my dad a few times! Your prompt brought my dad and I closer together in these dark times.
> 
> Thank you also to Orange_Coyote for your beta work! :3

“White moves first.”

Draco scowled. Weasley’s intonation sounded a lot more like “ladies first.” False courtesy was _his_ thing. Weasley took his thing.

Draco would never have agreed to play any version of chess which did not feature the pieces laying waste to each other on the board, but for the fact that this version of Muggle chess had pieces made of shot glasses, and Weasley had deftly filled each one nearly to the brim with Firewhiskey, and Draco needed a social lubricant.

Draco considered himself a fair chess player. Nothing to write home about, but he had amassed enough knowledge of the game to know a strategy or two. The trick would be remembering them before the drink sank in. He vaguely remembered something about Ron winning some important game of chess in their First year, but he had been too busy raging over having just lost the House Cup to _fucking Longbottom_.

Draco rolled his eyes, “Yes, _thank you_ ,” he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. His stomach dropped for just a second when in his peripheral he caught Harry palming his face and shaking his head, the corner of his mouth raised in a smile. This truce between himself and Harry’s best friends was in its infancy, and Draco was still learning to read their particular brand of humour.

And so it began. The game opened well enough, with pawns and knights grappling for control over the centre of the board, but it soon became apparent to everyone but Draco that he had no real plan of attack beyond his opening moves. The match had just elapsed fifteen minutes, and Draco had easily lost three-quarters of his material.

“I’ll have you know, _Weaselby_ ,” Draco slurred, leaning heavily on the coffee table, shot glass in hand. Ron had just taken his last bishop.

“I was Gobstones Champion when I was _nine_.” Harry suppressed a snort on the sofa with Hermione. Though he had been sipping from his own drink on the side, Ron was sober as ever, having only drank down two shots of Firewhiskey over a couple of sacrificed pawns. He was in no rush to finish the game, content to take his time claiming piece after piece until he had Malfoy cornered, waiting for the sloshed Slytherin to notice.

“Checkmate,” said Ron, triumphantly. “That’s Gobstones. _This_ is chess.” Confused, wide eyes followed furrowed eyebrows as Draco squinted down at the board. Ron’s queen had his king pinned between a rook and the edge of the board.

“ _Fuck_.”

Malfoy raised his king aloft, turning the small glass in his long fingers. “Well, here’s to Gobstones, then.” He knocked it back, and Ron raised his own king in salute, swallowing down the spicy cinnamon spirit.

“I think that’s enough for tonight,” said Harry as he rose to brace Draco, who had been finding it increasingly difficult to remain sitting up. “Thank you for dinner. Next week, our place?” Ron and Hermione nodded as Hermione passed them their cloaks. Harry threw Draco’s over his shoulders and held him steady. He gave his friends one last grateful smile, and disapparated with a _crack_!


End file.
